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With Michigan classrooms set to reopen in a matter of weeks, doctors and public health leaders Thursday urged parents to check their children's immunization records and catch up on any missed vaccines before the first day of school.
The call comes as the U.S. logs its worst measles year in 35 years, and as vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough and chickenpox continue to circulate in the state, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports in a news release.
As of July 22, the U.S. had recorded 2,321 measles cases nationwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University measles tracker, already surpassing all of 2025's full-year total of 2,289, and marking the highest annual count since measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's official weekly count, which lags slightly behind real-time tracking, stood at 2,318 cases as of July 23, with 93% of cases occurring in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
"Now is the moment for parents to check their child's immunization records and catch up on any vaccines they've missed," Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for the state of Michigan, said in the news release. "Every missed or delayed vaccine is a missed opportunity to protect a child and their entire classroom."
Michigan has reported two measles outbreaks so far this year, in Washtenaw and Ottawa counties, representing 78% of the state's cases. Pertussis, or whooping cough, also remains a concern, with 122 cases reported as of May 31, including 33 in infants younger than 2. Severe complications are common with pertussis: 1 in 3 babies who contract it requires hospitalization, 1 in 5 will develop pneumonia and some develop seizures or brain swelling.
Statewide, measles, mumps and rubella vaccine coverage among children 19 to 35 months stands at just 75.7% and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, or DTaP, vaccine coverage is 67.8%. Both are below the levels needed to prevent outbreaks of these highly contagious diseases.
Michigan's statewide school vaccine waiver rate climbed to 6.2% in 2024, the highest since 2013, according to the MDHHS. Nearly all of those waivers are nonmedical -- 57.4% are philosophical and 39% religious, compared with just 3.5% medical. Parents can look up their own school's immunization and waiver data on the MDHHS website before the school year begins. The site currently reflects 2024 data, with 2025 school-year figures expected soon.
"We can send our kids back to school safely this year by making sure they're caught up on vaccines before the first bell rings," said Veronica McNally, president of the Franny Strong Foundation and founder of the I Vaccinate campaign. "As a mother, I know these are personal decisions. But the science is clear, and so are the stakes: vaccinating your child protects not just them, but their classmates and their community."
Some Michigan schools open as early as Aug. 17, with many others, including Detroit and Grand Rapids school districts, starting Aug. 24. Public health officials recommend parents check their child's immunization record now at mcir.org/public, schedule a back-to-school appointment with their doctor or local health department, and ask about catching up on any missed doses, including this year's flu vaccine.
For accurate, evidence-based information about childhood vaccines, families can visit IVaccinate.org.